The Future Has Arrived – Chatbots are changing engagement for sport fans

Every brand in the world today, from women’s fashion to sport clubs and stadiums, uses social media to connect to and interact with followers. Social media engagement is, in fact, the ultimate goal for all brands in every market. However, sport might be the most unique niche in the economy. Sport brands, clubs, and stadiums truly need consumer engagement in order to survive.

Julie Frank (@JulieLFrank) is the marketing and public relations manager at Navigate Research, and she notes that “sports fans that see a brand message on social media are 78% more likely to have a positive perception of them.” Social media is far from new, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new tricks up its sleeve.

Rise of the Bots

To be more specific, we’re talking about chatbots. If social media is the most popular activity on smartphones and mobile devices today, messaging is the fastest growing and most popular activity within that niche. Pew Internet Research found that in 2015, 49% of smartphone users aged 18 to 29 used messaging apps on their devices and 36% of all smartphone users had the same behavior. Messaging is quickly becoming the fastest growing online space, surpassing social media networks in both size and monthly active users. What is it that makes chatbots and messaging so popular?

A New Form of Engagement

Chatbots are gaining popularity because they offer sport brands a chance to engage with fans in a manner never seen before. Chatbots bring a flexible, but still familiar, method for brands to use in creating a fresh, interactive experience for fans through messaging interfaces. On top of that, it creates a centralized place for two-way communication between brands and consumers on any screen or device. Best of all, there’s no need for sport brands or clubs to build a new app from the ground up. Now the question is, what are the benefits?

ChatBots & Sport Brands

Chatbots give sport brands the power of a smarter social strategy with artificial intelligence that improves the fan experience. For example, fans can get the answers they need to common questions quickly, providing a positive experience for them with the brand. A fan with match tickets in hand the morning of a game can quickly ask the chatbot the best place to park near the stadium or immediately after the game inquire about the cheapest seats for the next home match.

Even better, chatbots give your brand a 24/7 direct line of communication to your fanbase. Followers young and old can ask a question at a moment’s notice, providing them with the answers they seek and casting a positive light on your brand. Let’s not forget the ability to monetize that fan engagement through ad sponsor opportunities in the chatbots.

About TheConnectedFan

We never want to stop learning in our quest to improve fan engagement for sport brands around the globe. Our newest innovation is the FanBot, a chatbot that offers a new method for fan engagement and enhanced interaction. Connect with your fans like never before to provide them with the latest news, highlights, and game-day information through an always-on connection that keeps you linked to your fans 24/7. Increase your conversions, boost user satisfaction, and drive your response times to zero with FanBot.Beyond our new FanBot opportunity, TheConnectedFan strives to help your sport brand build a deeper fan connection and enhance the match-day experience of your club through second-screen devices and a diverse offering of services to make each interaction between fan and brand a memorable one.